


Beyond Repair

by EyesToThe_Sky, TheGirlInThePinkScarf



Category: WWE
Genre: Angst, Beyond Repair, F/F, F/M, M/M, Male Slash, Multi, Shandy, punkena - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-30
Updated: 2015-03-30
Packaged: 2018-02-15 10:52:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 22,487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2226363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EyesToThe_Sky/pseuds/EyesToThe_Sky, https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheGirlInThePinkScarf/pseuds/TheGirlInThePinkScarf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>John Cena prides himself on being a role model and having admirable values, however when he hurts the one he fell hard for, it forces him to look at the man in the mirror. When an accident almost takes the life of the man he loves, a man he emotionally destroyed, he feels at fault. Can John fix Phil along with their broken relationship? Or is it beyond repair? Punkena Slash. Sheamus/Randy, Kaitlyn/AJ.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Apologizing isn't always enough

**Author's Note:**

> Okay here it is, Chapter 1 of our first chaptered fic. It's Punkena, it was an RP (Role Play), I (Cal), was Phil and Krystle was John. 
> 
> We do have a trailer for this fic actually. Look on our profile, there should be a link. 
> 
> We really hope that you all will enjoy it!
> 
> Disclaimer: We don't own any of the wrestlers, they all belong to WWE and TNA. Trust me, if I owned Phil and AJ Lee and Krystle owned Cena and Kofi Kingston, you would never hear from either of us again. 
> 
> *Krystle no longer writes this fic with me, however I'm still giving credit for the fact we started this thing together.*

Beyond Repair

"Where the hell does he get off on hitting me in the fucking stomach with a lead pipe!" CM Punk Aka Phil Brooks seethed while his manager Paul Heyman stood there silently, listening to Phil drone on.

"This is bullshit! Then you!" Phil turns and jabs Heyman in the shoulder roughly. "Take off, and leave ME to fend for myself! Against an armed man!" Phil continued his face turning red in his anger. Paul shied away in fear of what the furious WWE Champion would do to him.

"Then AFTER ALL OF THAT! Cena fucking rips on me for paying tribute to the late great Macho Man, saying I'M stealing his elbow drop, and I STOLE the colors from Bret Hart, yet He BLANTANTLY rips ME off!" Phil screamed starting to pace wildly as Paul simply watched, glancing around to make sure the General Manager AJ Lee didn't hear the commotion and decide to drop by to see what was going on inside Phil's locker room.

"Now that's what 'I' call a Pipe Bomb!" Phil mocked Cena's words after he had been attacked by the injured Boston native.

"Fucking hypocrisy at its finest!" Phil hissed crossing his arms, glancing over to see Paul simply nodding along with whatever he said. He reached over and snatched the WWE title out of Paul's hands, grabbing a handful of his suit, opening the door with one hand and shoving him out with the other.

"Get the fuck out of my sight!" He screamed through gritted teeth, slamming the door shut behind him. If Paul Heyman was as smart as he thought he was, he'd simply walk away and not protest being thrown out, or else Phil knew it would get physical.

He seethed in raged as he replayed the events in his head. Cena, someone he used to consider his love- no... his boy-... almost a friend... actually they weren't really close friends. More like fuck buddies to be honest.

Cena treated him that way... at least his Ex-boyfriend Jeff Hardy had been romantic towards him. Even when Phil didn't consider himself to be into any of the candle light dinners, long walks on the beach, watching the sunset together, the small simplest things that seems to count.

Hell even the Raw General Manager AJ Lee's crazy ass wanted to take him to the movies at one point in time... She would've done about anything for Phil to just hang out with her... John is the opposite of that. He always made Phil feel like a whore. He'd sneak him into his hotel room, locker room, janitor's closet, backseat of his car; Fuck even the bathroom on an airplane! Yes... he'd joined the mile high club with John Cena... watch all the kids and teenage girls cry.

The thing was... even though Phil prided himself on not getting attached... he as reluctant as he was to admit it... had gotten attached to John. Even when John treated him like a whore... he'd fuck him, and then was quick to throw him out so his wife wouldn't know.

Even as he went through his divorce with that bitch he still treated Phil as if he were ashamed of him. It made Phil start to hate his life, because every time John called, he'd go. They'd fuck until Phil could barely walk the next day, and John would throw him out, and act like it never even happened. He'd gone through depression because of it, and John and everyone else wondered why "he changed."

John had tried to talk to him, but Phil wanted nothing more to do with him. He was so sick and tired of Cena... Phil sneered and started throwing all his shit in his bag, wanting to get the fuck out of the arena so he didn't have to risk seeing Cena again tonight.

John had been trying to get a hold of him, but Phil ignored his calls and texts, deleted the voicemails without listening to them. He was done. "Fuck you John" Phil mumbled under his breath as he finished packing. He grabbed his bag and slung it over his shoulder.

He sneered, grabbing the WWE title and gave the locker room a quick once over, seeing it was clean, and that he had everything. He walked over to the door, twisting the knob, intending to get the fuck out of dodge.

Cena made his way to the back, fully intent on finding Phil. They hadn't talked in a while. John knew that Phil was ignoring him, but he didn't care. He needed to talk to him. John politely waved and nodded at everyone he saw backstage. Normally, he'd stop and have a conversation with everyone, but he didn't have time. He knew that Phil was going to be in more of a rush to leave than normal.

John passed a scurrying Paul Heyman and that made him think that maybe Phil hadn't left yet. He started walking faster and he sighed in relief when he saw a familiar hoodie and a Cubs hat heading toward the exit. Not wanting to startle Phil, Cena stealthily followed after him. John waited until Phil reached the parking lot to reveal himself. He used his good arm to tap Phil on the shoulder lightly. He wasn't surprised when the tattooed man angrily pushed his arm away.

Phil had his keys out and was putting them into the car door when John called out to him. "Phil, wait. I need to talk to you!" The glare that John received was almost enough to make him turn around and leave. However, giving up was not in John's nature. He took a deep breath and hoped that Phil would give him a chance to explain his actions as of late. Phil crossed his arms, but made no other sign that he was interested at all in whatever John had to say to him.

"I'm sorry. I know that I've been a dick to you and I'm really sorry, Phil. You were broken after Jeff left you and instead of trying to help you, I preyed on your vulnerability. I used you and treated you like shit. I should have stopped when I realized that you started having feelings for me, but I didn't. I didn't care about your feelings, but that all changed after the divorce. Liz didn't love me. She was just using me and I hated how that felt. I realized that I was doing the same to you and I hated myself for it. I've been trying to apologize to you all of this time, but you've been ignoring me. I know you probably hate me now and don't have any feelings for me anymore, but I do have feelings for you, Phil. I have a really shitty way of expressing it, but I do. I know that I don't deserve it, but could you find it in your heart to forgive me?"

Phil opened the trunk of his rental, tossing his bag and the WWE title inside, slamming it shut, releasing a heavy sigh. He kept his back to John when he felt the familiar burn behind his eyes, his vision going blurry as they filled with unshed tears.

He grit his teeth, mentally telling himself that he had cried enough tears over John Cena, and that he deserved no more. He did not deserve the second chance he was asking for. Part of Phil knew it was some sort of ploy to get closer to that WWE title that John coveted. He just knew it! Why else would he bother to apologize after he used him for sex, broke his heart, shattered the trust they had slowly started to build. When he had left him in the dust, when Phil's emotions got the best of him and he lost control and attacked John, he played it off as though he was the good guy and Phil was the one wearing the black hat!

Then above all that, hit him in the stomach moments ago with a fucking lead pipe, simply because Phil had something to say to the WWE universe and didn't want to be anywhere near the Cenation leader for obvious reasons; John had refused to leave the ring! So what would be the point of an apology, considering they were about to go head to head at Hell in a Cell for the title... John wanted to throw him off! Get him confused, attached again, so he could betray him again. That just had to be it!

Phil tried his damn hardest to keep his body's shaking under control and knew he was failing miserably and had to get the fuck out of there before Cena realized he was actually crying... he wouldn't put it past Cena to use his emotions against him... again. He bit his lip ring keeping his head low, facing away from John, and trying to swiftly move to the driver side door so he could make a quick escape. He knew John was waiting on answer, but Phil simply wouldn't give him the pleasure of getting one. He meant it when he said he was done.

"Move" He hissed under his breath, shoving past and shoulder checking John's good arm in the process. He hit the unlock button on the remote, his intentions to get away from the man who stabbed him in the back and turned him into what everyone now seemed to hate. It was all John's fault and even though his apology seemed sincere, Phil would never allow himself to be subjected to that treatment again; he'd never allow himself to fall back into John's trap. It took so long to try to rebuild the walls around his heart that Jeff had carefully removed when they were first dating. It took forever to TRY to patch the hole John had kicked through when they started whatever they were. He wasn't getting hurt again.

"I'm not going to be at Hell in a Cell, Phil. You've seen my elbow out of this sling; I'm not going to be ready. I needed this surgery before Summer Slam, but I kept putting it off. I know how much you hate fighting me now. Vince was never going to allow me request a change in story line. So, I decided to get the surgery. Don't end it like this. Please. At least let me say goodbye to you properly." John suddenly got so close to Phil that he could smell his cologne.

John inhaled the familiar scent and pressed his large body into Phil's, essentially trapping him against the car. Cena wrapped his good arm around Phil's waist and pressed his mouth against the tattoo behind his ear.

"I don't want to let you go, but I will if you honestly want me to. Just give me one more night with you. Let me make love to you, Phil. Will you at least allow me that, baby?" John whispered, the pet name slipping out almost automatically.

Phil relaxed against John's muscular body, pressing his forehead hard against the car so John couldn't see the tears now making their way down his face. His body started to shake, the familiarity of the embrace forcing the tears to spill. His instinct kicked in and he started to struggle against John's body.

"Get the fuck off me now!" He hissed through gritted teeth, feeling the much larger male easily over power him, keeping him pressed against his car. Phil shivered and tried to throw a back elbow into Cena's face but the older male saw it coming and pressed Phil more firmly against the car. When Phil realized he couldn't defend himself physically, he tried verbally.

"Why the fuck should I?!" He growled, seething in anger, continuing in a softer tone, hissing "So you can treat me like your dirty little secret? Your personal whore? The one you can call when you want to fuck... but not the one to take home to the family... not the one to be seen in public with... unless we're promoting the next bullshit charity event that Vince thinks is a great idea... am I on the right track John?" He asked feeling the tears sliding down his face, dripping onto the metal roof of his rental, he didn't bother trying to hide the fact that he was crying anymore, because he knew John could tell by his voice.

"You think I care that you're not going to be at Hell in a Cell? Cena the doctor said you'd be good to go! Don't you sit here and fucking lie to me and tell me you won't be!" He hissed feeling his body jerk slightly, starting to sob.

"You know it makes it bad enough that the man that..." He stopped and grits his teeth, taking a deep breath. "The man I started to love... the one that used me... is going to be the one to end... to take away the only thing I have left... to end my dreams... Irony has always been cruel to me... so you really didn't have to be too..." He muttered brokenly as more tears slid down his face with no signs of stopping anytime soon.

John gently grabbed Phil's arm, turning him around so that they were face to face. He wiped the cascading tears from Phil's face and just stared at him. This beautiful, sweet, and strong man was barely standing and crying all because of him. Cena felt low. He'd broken Phil Brooks and wasn't sure if he could put him back together. John wasn't sure what to say or do.

He didn't blame Phil for being pissed at him and not trusting him. He just wanted to make it all better. Cena knew that he was supposed to take the belt from Phil. He loved being champ and it was one of the best feelings in the world. But to win it after already breaking Phil's heart and crushing his spirit just didn't seem right.

Cena tenderly grabbed Phil's face and held it in place so that he could gaze into those pain filled green eyes. "I'm not that cruel, Phil. I won't take that from you too. I've done enough to hurt you. Creative will just have to come up with something else." John couldn't believe he was saying those words and a small part of him almost wanted to take the words back.

John kissed the tear stained cheeks and he didn't even mind the salty taste. He moved his mouth toward Phil's lips and he couldn't resist leaning in. He licked at Phil's bottom lip, silently asking for access. He had a feeling this was their final goodbye. He had to have one last taste.

Phil turned his head away, his instinct telling him those words were nothing more than just pretty lies... more pretty lies just to get him back in John's bed. John didn't care about him, 'cause if he did, he wouldn't have dug his grave for him. If he cared, he wouldn't have lied about Hell in a Cell like he just did, proving to Phil that he hadn't changed a bit. He was the same guy who shattered him.

He was the same guy. He pushed John's hands off him, his brain screaming at him to get out of there, trying to tell him he was in the danger zone. John kept trying to "help" him, but Phil's pride, and already broken spirit made him refuse any of John's "help".

He knew he was too upset to drive, he could barely stand, could barely see anything as it was, and the parking garage was pretty well lit compared to the pitch black streets he knew he was going to brave. He wasn't okay, he wasn't safe to drive but he didn't care; his instinct told him that he was more unsafe standing next to John than what he was about to do.

"I thought you weren't going to be at Hell in a Cell John? More pretty words... Pretty lies... to achieve your goal of completely breaking and humiliating me, don't touch me..." He whispered as he reached behind him, and opened the door, swiftly sliding inside the car. He shoved the keys in the ignition, struggling to start the car because through his tears, he could barely see. He was beyond the point of caring now, he was the beyond rational thought. He didn't realize the danger he was putting himself in. He sloppily put the car in drive and slammed his foot down on the gas, peeling out of the garage, leaving Cena in the review mirror.

Cena sighed. This was far from over. He knew what hotel Phil was staying at; he just didn't know the room number. He'd find out though because he couldn't let things end like this. He needed to give Phil a little bit of space though. Phil was practically irrational when he was upset and nothing that John said would get through to him.

After what felt like days, but was in reality only an hour, John was on his way to Phil's hotel room. He'd gotten the number from Kofi and thanked him. John knew there was a good chance that Phil wouldn't open the door, but he had to try.

"I completely understand that you don't want to talk to me anymore, but could you please open the door and let me in? I know I don't deserve it, but I want to try to make things right. I'll do whatever you want me to do. Just please, let me in," John begged.

Phil blinked hard, trying desperately to clear his vision enough to see. He was starting to regret leaving the arena without calming down first. He didn't regret getting himself away from the leech that was John Cena, but the tears still wouldn't give him a break. They hadn't stopped flowing since they started, and Phil knew it was because he was prone to bottling shit up all the time, and now it was coming back to bite him in the ass.

He hadn't gone back to the room, partially because he couldn't see and was surprised he hadn't wrecked yet, though he would welcome it gladly. Then everybody could fucking be happy… The other reason was because he knew John wouldn't give up when he wanted something. His hotel room would be the first place John would go; no doubt whatever "friends" he had left would tell Cena his room number. He wasn't going to chance it.

His instinct told him to pull the car over and get himself together but he ignored it. Sitting at the red light on an almost abandoned City street, Phil roughly wiped at his face, trying to force the thoughts of Cena far from his mind so he could at least focus on getting to a safe destination, where? He honestly didn't care, as long as John wasn't there, it was fine by him.

He glanced down at his iPhone, seeing he had 13 missed calls. Three of which were from his "Boss", AJ Lee, four from Kofi, and the rest were from John. He sneered and set the phone back down in the center console when he saw the screen turn green and start vibrating in his hand, the words "John Cena Calling" flashing across the screen, two options below it, "Answer" or "Ignore", he chose neither.

He glanced up seeing the light had turned green, and gave the car some gas, entering the intersection. The little voice in the back of his mind tried to tell him that he was going to get himself killed, but once again Phil ignored it and now he wished he would have listened to it. He never saw the car speeding towards him, blowing the red light until it collided with the driver side, Phil's head cracking the steering wheel. Everything went silent after his car had flipped; his vision was blurry, as he glanced to see his phone lying on the roof, next to his head, vibrating again.

This time it read "Kofi calling", he could barely hit answer, mumbling out "Help..." before he blacked out, the phone falling from his hand as his body went limp. The last thing he heard before he fully lost consciousness was Kofi's frantic, concerned cries wanting to know where he was. Saying that he was going to call John, and then he completely blacked out into nothingness, comfortably numb, far from the pain he felt before, unaware of what had just transpired. He faintly heard sirens and that was it before he hit complete silence. There was no sense of time, no sense of anything wherever he was. There was no John, no heartache, and no more pain.


	2. Too Late?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: We don't own any of the wrestlers; they all belong to WWE and TNA. Trust me, if I owned Phil and AJ Lee and Krystle owned Cena and Kofi Kingston, you would never hear from either of us again.

John waited and waited for Phil to answer the door, but he never came. Something wasn't right. Phil should have at least yelled at him to "Shut up" or "Fuck off" but there was just silence. Cena figured that Phil wasn't there. It was late and Phil was hurt, so John immediately began to worry. He knew that Phil wouldn't pick up his phone if he called, so he sent Kofi a text begging him to call Phil.

He just had to know that he was ok. Time continued to pass with no word from Kofi. John paced outside of the empty hotel room, his mind coming up with all kinds of scenarios. His phone finally rang and it was Kofi. Cena could barely hear anything other than "Phil" and "Hurt." Kofi told him that he called the ambulance and Cena immediately wanted to know where Phil was.

John raced to his car and followed the directions that Kofi gave him. They weren't making much sense and he figured that a delirious, possibly dying Phil passed on the directions. John went with his instinct and followed the sounds of the sirens. There were cop cars surrounding the street and John's heart dropped when he saw what once was Phil's rental.

There was no ambulance and no sign of Phil. John frantically made his way over to one of the cops demanding to know what happened to Phil. They couldn't tell him anything except what hospital that he was being rushed to. John wasn't much of a praying man, but he prayed to God that Phil was going to be ok. He got to the hospital in record time.

He had no idea what he was expecting to find, but he just needed to get to Phil. He was hysterical and could barely ask the woman at the ER front desk what was going on with Phil. His palms were sweating and his head was spinning. Phil just had to be ok. He had to. The nurse typed something into the computer and she turned to John with a sad smile.

"Unresponsive." 

"Blood loss." 

She said some other words that John couldn't understand. John demanded to see Phil.

Phil didn't know where he was or what had happened, but he was surrounded by darkness and he was alone. He tried yelling out to see if anyone else was there, but nobody answered whenever he did, so he gave up trying and simply enjoyed the peace.

'Am I dead?' he asked himself mentally. Was this some form of purgatory or something? He wondered if maybe he was in hell… thinking about all the shit he'd done in his life time, he'd done a lot of good things, but also his fair share of rotten things as well. More good than bad, but it still made him think.

He couldn't remember what had happened, but the last thing he did remember was driving from the arena to get away from John. He remembered not being able to see clearly through his tears, a flash of bright lights charging at him, then him answering a call, trying to give Kofi directions. He remembered hearing some kind of professional sounding voice declare that he was losing blood rapidly, saying that he was unresponsive, he heard the same voice yell for the defibrillator, saying that they were losing him, but he wasn't sure if that actually happened or if it was just imagined.

His mind was scattered, he had woken up during after he felt a painful shock, jolting him as the darkness around him in this 'Alice in Wonderland' type setting started to lift for a split second before the darkness took over again.

Several shocks later and Phil's eyes fluttered open before the doctor ordered them to quickly start an IV and get him prepped for surgery immediately, that he was on borrowed time and they had to hurry. His vision was fuzzy and starting to go dark again but this time he heard a soft voice telling him she was putting him under for the surgery, that everything would be okay, and that was all Phil remembered before he blacked out again, hoping she was right.

John was told to go wait in the waiting room and that as soon as the surgeons had an update on Phil's condition that he would find out. That didn't comfort John much, but just knowing that Phil was alive helped. Cena was surprised to see AJ and Kofi in the waiting room. He rushed over to them and both had red rimmed eyes, similar to his own.

AJ was laying her head on Kofi's chest and his hands were idly running through her long hair. After a small silence, Kofi told John that Phil had been taken to surgery about 20 minutes ago and that was all that they knew. AJ wanted to know why John wasn't with Phil when it happened. Her tone was very accusatory.

"We got into a huge argument. He left. I thought he was going back to the hotel. I panicked when he didn't come to the door. I asked Kofi to check on him and I came as soon as I could." John explained. AJ wasn't completely satisfied with his answer. "This is all your fault. If only you would have treated him better..." AJ stated.

Cena laughed mirthlessly. "Right, because you treated him so much better?" Kofi didn't want a fight to break out, so he told both of them to shut up and think about Phil. John and AJ continued to narrow their eyes at each other, but they didn't say a word. Cena knew that he fucked up royally with Phil. He also knew that he should have tried to stop Phil from driving.

John was brought out of his thoughts when a cop approached AJ. John recognized the tattered duffle bag as the one Phil always carried. The officer also had the WWE Title Belt in his hands. He handed them to AJ and gave her his well wishes for Phil. AJ smiled weakly and thanked the officer.

AJ dumped the title into Cena's lap and he barely had time to catch it before it hit the floor. "Congratulations, John! You now have the belt. Are you happy now?" AJ crossed her arms and stared at John with hate in her dark eyes.

"Of course not! After everything that's happened, you still think this means the world to me? I'm sitting in the fucking ER because my b-boyfriend is fighting for his life right now. I could care less about this. It's just gold and leather to me. Just an object. When I had this, I thought that it was everything. But it's not worth it. It's not," John replied, wiping the tears from his eyes.

He put the belt on top of Phil's bag. He didn't want to touch it. It felt so heavy in his hands and he didn't even want to look at it. The only thing he wanted was Phil. Nothing else mattered. He just hoped he didn't realize it too late.

It felt like days, even weeks had passed to Phil. The darkness around him that he started to feel at peace with, was now mocking him. The last memory of his life… his waking world was a female voice informing him that he was going into surgery, and that everything was going to be okay… did he die? Was he dead? Is this pitch black, nothingness all he had to look forward to? Phil was scared, he laid down, on what, he didn't know, he closed his eyes, realizing that he couldn't tell if they were opened or closed anymore, it was the same result. Pitch black nothingness.

He wondered if anyone had heard about whatever happened to him, he wondered if anyone cared about him anymore after all the shit he put them through. He made them hurt because he was hurting. He wondered if AJ cared about him still… at one time they were inseparable, they were almost as close as he and Kofi were, and as a matter of fact, the dark-skinned man with dreadlocks looked at the small pint sized Diva like a kid sister. He wondered if they cared… Would John care? Nah… he'd probably be thrilled when he heard the news, an easy title victory at Hell in a Cell for him…

He closed his eyed tighter, starting to fade away, wanting to just give up, he felt no point in fighting to live a life that was pointless. He felt everything around him fading away, knowing that this meant he was about to die, he didn't know how he knew, he just knew… then he heard a familiar giggle, a singsong voice murmur "Open your eyes Philly… It's not your time yet."

"AJ?" he asked slowly opening his eyes to see that he was back in his locker room. He blinked in confusion wondering if everything he had experienced was nothing more than an illusion, a dream… He saw a flash of movement out of the corner of his eye, turning to see AJ skipping away from him, down the hall.

"AJ!" He called getting up and running after her disappearing form. "April! Wait! Where are you going?!" He screamed feeling a sense of urgency. No matter how fast he ran to try to catch her, or even keep up, the further she got. He fell to his knees, panting hard, giving up until he heard Kofi's voice.

"Keep going Baby boy. You're almost there." It sounded cryptically in his head, as he glanced around wildly, unable to see him anywhere. "Kofi! Keep going where?! I'm lost… I'm confused... Help me!" he screamed, his voice cutting out at the end. "Follow April… She'll show you the way…" It sounded again. "I'm trying to help you… you have to listen…"

"Philly! Come on! We're almost there!" AJ said, her voice sounding closer than her body actually was. "Come on! I'll show you the way!" Phil groaned tiredly, feeling absolutely exhausted. "Don't you dare give up! Phil! Go!" John's voice sounded right next him, but Phil didn't have to look to know that like Kofi, he wasn't there, it was a figment of his imagination… it was all in his head.

"Phil!" AJ yelled, suddenly appearing at his side. "You have to follow me… Don't stop following me. You have to escape the darkness…" She murmured gently. "Or else what?! I die?!" Phil screamed, feeling his body growing weaker by the second.

"Yes!" All the voices in his head screamed at once. Phil groaned just wanting to lay down and die, to give up. "Come on Phil…" John urged gently as Phil ran his hands over his scalp. "Go!" Kofi's voice sounded as Phil forced himself to his feet chasing AJ's disappearing form. When he rounded the last corner, it was right into a bright blinding light as the voices faded away telling him that everything would be okay now.

John, AJ, and Kofi were hanging on to every word the doctor told them. The surgery was done, but Phil hadn't responded yet. He was still alive, but he honestly didn't know for how much longer. The words hit them all hard and fresh tears poured from all of their eyes. The doctor did have a little bit of good news to tell them though.

The doctor explained that sometimes in patients that were unresponsive, talking to them sometimes helped. Letting them know that they're loved, needed, and appreciated was sometimes enough to make them responsive. He showed them all to Phil's room and told them to be quick. Phil didn't have much time left.

"Nothing I say will be good enough. I broke his trust, so he won't believe me. One of you has to try to convince him that he can't die on us," Cena said

"We haven't been that close lately. I'm not sure that he'll care what I have to say," Kofi admitted. Two sets of eyes turned toward AJ. "I don't know what to say! It's not like we've been BBFs lately either!" She complained. Kofi's mouth turned up at the corners. "Then we do it together."

"Phil, honey, it's me AJ. Kofi and John are here too. We love you and we're scared as shit right now. We've all done things to hurt you and we're so sorry. If you want to hate us and never speak to us again, that's fine. Just don't die on us," AJ pleaded.

Kofi took a deep breath. "You said that I'm your road wife, right? So, I guess that makes you my road husband. I can't go on without my husband can I?" Kofi's joked lightened the mood just a little, but it was greatly appreciated by AJ and Cena.

John grabbed Phil's hand and he flinched at how cold and lifeless it felt. "Think about Jeff. I know you still care about him. He and Matt still care about you too, you know. Do you know how devastated he would be if you died? And who would tell him? Either Kofi, AJ, or me and it would break all of our hearts to break the news to Jeff. You have to fight and never give up, Phil. You're still pissed at me, right? Wake up and tell me how much you hate me. Wake up and tell Kofi how you really wish that he'd cut his dreads or tell AJ that you hate it when she skips. Don't leave us, baby. We need you. If you die, I don't know what I'll do, Phil. I really don't." John kissed Phil's hand and he thought he felt Phil squeeze back. John was so far gone that he wasn't sure.

Maybe he was just imagining it, or maybe Phil really was starting to wake up. He wasn't sure. AJ and Kofi went to the other side of Phil's bed and each of them kissed his forehead and cheek. Phil wasn't leaving them and all three of them were going to stay by his side.

Phil groaned quietly hearing AJ's voice, sound so concerned, like she was already crying, as someone grabbed his hand, squeezing it gently.

"Phil, honey, it's me AJ. Kofi and John are here too. We love you and we're scared as shit right now. We've all done things to hurt you and we're so sorry. If you want to hate us and never speak to us again, that's fine. Just don't die on us" 

It was an illusion… it was his mind's defense to protect the body from giving up… it had to be! Why would John care… Kofi was believable, AJ was farfetched, but John was just impossible… Everything… and everyone was playing games with him, including his own mind…

Then Kofi's voice sounded next.

"You said that I'm your road wife, right? So, I guess that makes you my road husband. I can't go on without my husband can I?"

Kofi sounded like he was near tears, and that man never cried! It almost made Phil want to fight through this, key word being "almost". It shocked him when John spoke next, feeling his hand get squeezed gently, almost as though he were saying that he was there for him.

"Think about Jeff. I know you still care about him. He and Matt still care about you too, you know. Do you know how devastated he would be if you died? And who would tell him? Either Kofi, AJ, or me and it would break all of our hearts to break the news to Jeff"

Phil felt his heart stop as John mentioned Jeff. John hated Jeff… well they weren't exactly on good terms with one another to be honest. Ever since Jeff had dumped Phil saying that he couldn't handle a long distance relationship when he went to TNA, but that they could still be friends and Phil had said that even as friends that was a "long distance relationship", so no they could not be friends anymore, John had had this dislike for Jeff. For John to mention Jeff meant that he was actually scared for Phil, any other time he wanted nothing to do with him, he never wanted to hear his name, it made him see red.

"You have to fight and never give up, Phil. You're still pissed at me, right? Wake up and tell me how much you hate me. Wake up and tell Kofi how you really wish that he'd cut his dreads or tell AJ that you hate it when she skips. Don't leave us, baby. We need you. If you die, I don't know what I'll do, Phil. I really don't."

He felt John take his hand in his own and gently squeeze it. 'His former friends still cared about him!' he thought to himself, still somewhat wondering if it was his mind playing tricks on him so he wouldn't give up so easily. John had squeezed his hand, it felt so real! It had to be! He tried his best to assure them that he was okay, that everything would be okay. That he wouldn't give up on then.

A/N: Okay! The end of Chapter 2 and everyone still loves those cliff hangers, right? :P

So Phil is in a coma, Cena, AJ and Kofi are scared of losing him. Cena realized the true extent of his feelings for Phil but, is too late? Maybe we'll find out in Chapter 3. 

Hope all the Punkena shippers are enjoying this, we're enjoying ourselves writing it! Please leave a review and let us know how we're doing! Reviews feed hungry writers! We're Ryback!Hungry. Review away! Thanks guys!

~ Cal & Krys


	3. Can't win for losing.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here's Chapter 3 guys! Feedback makes me happy :)

It felt like weeks had passed, when in reality it was only a few days, as Phil fought to wake up. He heard the machines beeping furiously, hoping that his former friends hadn't left him; that they hadn't given up on him just yet. As his eyes fluttered open, he felt like he'd been underwater for weeks, and he'd just finally reached the surface. The bright white room blinded him for a moment as he fought for breath, hearing the beeping getting louder the more conscious he became.

 

"He's waking up! Go get the doctor!" AJ squealed, not realizing that Phil had a major headache. Kofi left to go get the doctor. John was still holding on to Phil's hand, so thankful that it wasn't so cold anymore. He shot Phil a smile and brought the tattooed hand to his mouth for a gentle kiss. "Enough with all of that! What the hell were you thinking? You almost left us! How could you do something so selfish? Damn it, Phil! You're the most insufferable person that I know! I would kill you if you hadn't already almost died!" AJ yelled, but there was no real heat behind her words. Just relief.

 

Kofi returned with the doctor and everyone focused on him. He checked Phil's vitals and everything was in working order. He told Phil how lucky he was. That AJ, John, and Kofi only left briefly for food and clothes. They never left his side like they promised. The doctor then asked Phil how he was feeling. "I … feel… like… like I got hit by a truck…" Phil mumbled, his throat hurting, the sound of his voice making him wince.

 

"That's actually… quite accurate" Kofi murmured quietly as Phil squeezed his eyes shut. He glanced around the room, seeing Kofi leaning against the wall closest to the window, AJ seated next to his bed on his right, to John seated next to bed as well, but on his left. All three looked exhausted, yet relieved to know that he was okay, that or relieved that their conscious would be clear. "What happened?" he asked, his voice sounded raspy, it sounded horrible even to his own ears. They had finally removed the breathing tube from his throat, and he could finally breathe on his own accord now; which was a major relief to almost everyone in the room; it was one less thing they had to worry about.

 

The doctor informed them that there was a slight chance that Phil could have brain damage for the time that he had been basically "dead to the world" when he had flat lined three times and had to be revived by the defibrillator. Phil felt a shiver go down his spine. 'What if I'm physically unable to wrestle again?' he asked himself mentally, feeling his stomach drop, he felt AJ's small hand take his, squeezing it gently, John's hand taking his free one, doing the same. "You don't remember?" The doctor asked, though it sounded more like a statement than a question but Phil answered it none the less. "I was… distressed. I wasn't paying attention… I don't remember much." He admitted quietly, everyone in the room wearing a look of concern. "May I have something to drink… please?" he asked politely as the doctor nodded curtly, looking weary as he radioed a nurse.

 

"You remember your name?" The doctor asked as Phil nodded slowly. "Phillip Jack Brooks".

 

"Your age?" he continued as Phil answered "33 years old". Just then the nurse walked in with a Styrofoam cup filled with ice water, handing it off to AJ, who helped Phil take a few sips. "Thank you" he murmured quietly as AJ nodded, sitting it on the table next to her. "I remember everything leading up to the accident… everything else is scattered" Phil explained as the doctor released a sigh, pursing his lips and nodding his head.

 

"Almost gave us a fright there, Mr. Brooks. Don't worry that's all normal. You may even get flashbacks of the accident, and if you do, it's normal." He warned as Phil nodded. "Okay" He whispered as the doctor excused himself having to go tend to other patients, leaving Phil alone with AJ, John and Kofi. Phil felt awkward feeling AJ's piercing gaze on him. Kofi seemed relaxed, John seemed guilty, but AJ had a strict look on her face that Phil couldn't read. He felt a lecture or some form of a tongue lashing coming on. He groaned turning his head and burying his face in his pillow.

 

"I'll yell at you some more when you're better. Kofi and I are going to get breakfast. You and John need to talk," AJ said, giving both of them a stern look. Once they left, John cleared his throat, never relinquishing his hold on Phil's hand. Phil opened his mouth to speak, but John put his finger over his mouth gently to stop him from talking. "You have a sore throat and you've just woken up from a serious battle. Don't talk right now, just listen, ok?"

 

"I thought that I lost you. Well, maybe I have. I don't know where we stand right now and it's honestly not a priority. I just want you to get better, ok? I want you to know that I'll be by your side for every step of your recovery. I'll be here until you tell me to leave. Please, don't ever scare me like that again. I'm only 35, but I thought I was going to have a serious heart attack. I love you Phillip and I really hope that you'll be able to forgive me some day. I know that these things take time. I'm here to let you know that I'll wait. No matter how long it takes. After all, I never give up." Cena told him with a bright smile, dimples showing.

 

Phil cleared his throat quietly; not really wanting to have this discussion at the moment, but it wasn't like he could just get up and leave. He wasn't going anywhere unfortunately so he really had no choice in the matter but to talk it out with John. Or he could always give John the silent treatment until Kofi and AJ got back from having breakfast, and get screamed at by AJ, and possibly by Kofi as well. He honestly didn't know what to say to John. He didn't know if he believed John just yet, even after John being there when he woke up from his medicine induced coma. "John I'm not so sure I can just trust you so easily, after what you did to me… I don't know what to make of any of this… I'm confused… my head is killing me… I just don't want to talk about this right now… I won't kick you out if that's what you're worried about. So don't worry. However, I do want to know exactly what happened… I want to know how you guys found me… I want to know why you did what you did… I want to know…" Phil trailed off, swallowing hard, his throat hurting more than just a little. "I really want a drink of water…" He murmured as John nodded and walked around to where AJ had been sitting, grabbing the cup and helping Phil drink it before retaking his seat.

 

"Thank you… Answer something for me… please?" He asked glancing up, seeing John nodding at him. "How long was I out?" John caressed his hand. "You were out for 4 long days. It felt like much longer though. Kofi said you were out of it, but you told him where you were. He called 911, he called AJ, and he called me too. We got here as soon as we could. We were all panicking. After your surgery, the doctor wasn't sure if you were going to respond. He told us to come talk to you though. Could you hear us?"

 

Phil blinked hard, his eyebrows forming a line in worry. "4 days?" He questioned helplessly, slumping back against the hospital bed. "I was out for 4 days…" He mumbled sighing as he tried to think back to just before he'd woken up. "Yeah… I had this freaking nightmare-ish… type dream… and then I heard some things… you talked about Jeff… AJ apologized. Kofi joked. I think… my mind is still fuzzy…" Phil admitted quietly, squeezing his eyes tightly shut, before he snapped them open again. "Were you three here for all four days?" He questioned glancing over at John. "And is the news out yet? Does WWE Management, aside from AJ, know about this?!" He asked looking slightly worried as he sat up straight. "Fuck the WWE Title… my gear!" He exclaimed sitting up further. "It was in the trunk of my rental… My rental! Dammit!" Phil murmured stressing out, dropping his head in his hands, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration.

 

"Relax, Phil. Don't stress yourself out. I was here the whole time, I didn't want to miss anything. AJ didn't tell them the specifics because she knew you wouldn't want that. Don't worry about the rental and AJ has your stuff. Everything's fine. We weren't sitting around idly, we made sure to take care of everything. A few others came by to check on you. Jeff was one of them..." John unintentionally squeezed Phil's hand harder at the mention of his ex. Jeff was a nice guy and Cena didn't really dislike him, but he was jealous as all hell. Not wanting to ruin what was a rare moment of peace with Phil, John changed the subject. "Although you're in pain, nothing was permanently damaged. You can still wrestle. Best news you've heard all day, huh?"

 

Phil sighed softly, feeling his heart skip a beat when John mentioned that Jeff had stopped by to see him. "Jeff stopped by to see me? I thought TNA had a thing for him… competing against Aries for the World Title or whatever… What'd he say? He…He didn't stay? ... You know… to see if I was… To see if I was okay?" He questioned, perking up instantly when he heard that Jeff stopped by, and then slumped back against the bed when he realized Jeff was nowhere to be found. "He left?" Phil asked looking over at John with a disappointed look on his face.

 

Phil blinked trying to process everything John had told him. "What do you mean 'don't worry about the rental… I have to pay for that… I bet it's totaled… isn't it?" He asked looking hopeless before he continued his questioning. "'Took care of things?' Like what?" Phil asked looking confused, glancing over at John nervously. Seeing how excited Phil got at the mention of Jeff shouldn't have been a surprise to John and really it wasn't, it just hurt.

 

"Uh... he had to go. He honestly didn't want to, but Dixie needed him. I already paid for your rental, Phil. Well, you're going to be on Raw, but you're probably not going to wrestle. I think they want you to recover a little more or something. As far as the media knows, you were legitimately injured with the pipe. We tried to cover everything while you were out. We had hope that you were going to wake up and didn't want you to have to worry about anything but getting better," John informed him. Phil glared slightly at John, trying to look as annoyed as he felt.

 

"Why?! Why would you pay for my rental John? You didn't wreck it… I did… How much was it… I'll pay you back…" He snapped, his lips quirking in annoyance at the idea of everyone trying to cover everything up, as if he were one of the big names they cared about. He shook his head. "Geez I feel like I'm being mothered or something like that… sheesh… question… what exactly would the cover story be if I had… if I would have died that night… if I hadn't had the strength to answer Kofi's call… what would the cover up story be then?" He questioned narrowing his eyes at John. "Let me guess? The pipe did so much damage it caused internal bleeding… or since the company obviously doesn't think I'm a draw… doesn't think I'm a "big name"… would the cover story be 'World Wrestling Entertainment has come terms on the release of WWE Superstar CM Punk as of today. WWE wishes CM Punk the best in all his future endeavors…' I mean I don't know…" Phil mumbled quietly looking away from John.

 

John gave Phil a chaste kiss to quiet him. "Hey, relax. You're already in the hospital; don't raise your blood pressure. I wanted to do something nice for you, so I paid for your rental. It's not a big deal, Phil. Don't worry about it. Honestly, if you would have died..." Cena trailed off, not wanting to think about it. "Well, I'm not too sure what they would have tried to say. But it's a bit of a moot point because you're okay now. Is there anything else that you want to know?" John asked.

 

Phil glared at John for kissing him. "I haven't forgiven you… You lost the right to do that… to kiss me… You do it again I guarantee that I'll punch you in the throat…" He stopped and let the threat sink in before continuing in a softer tone. "If you wanted to do something nice… You'd have left the ring when I asked you to… don't … no… I don't want your help with anything… I'm not fucking helpless… I have no need for Superman… not anymore… I'm not a damsel in distress… I'll pay you back…" He muttered snapping his gaze to look out the window, anything to look away from the sad ass look on John's face. He deserved it! After everything he did! If he would've left the ring; if he didn't seek him out after the show he'd be preparing to defend his title at Hell in a Cell, not laying in a hospital bed wondering if he'd be ready to… wondering if he'd ever wrestle again…

 

"There was always a possibility that I wouldn't come out of this John… I'm sure the doctor told you guys… Vince always has a plan… You're his golden boy… Here's what I think would've happened… Superman Cena to the main event WITH the WWE title… CM Punk has been released." Phil shook his head, chewing on his bottom lip, realizing his lip ring was missing. "Where's my lip ring?!" He exclaimed as he glared over at John.

 

John sighed. "I'd apologize for kissing you, but really, I'm not sorry, Phil. You're so damn stubborn. Pay me back since you won't accept a favor from me. I'm going to tell you like I told AJ, the title doesn't have the same meaning to me anymore. You think if you would have died, that I would just take it like that? That I'd go to work and it'd just be business as usual? No. And I think AJ has your lip ring. I'm pretty sure that she'll be back here soon. She'll probably give you all of your stuff back" John told him.

 

Phil pursed his lips. "I know you're not sorry John… You're not sorry… I know you John… that title means everything to you… I don't mean to open old wounds… but two years ago you claimed to love Liz more than life itself…" Phil cut himself off, taking a deep breath, noting that he was tearing open his old wounds as well. "You let… that very title ruin your marriage… and you sit right there and try to convince me… that you wouldn't take it… regardless of the circumstance?! When someone is injured you take it! How is death any different?!" Phil asked hissing in John's face before sinking back against the bed.

 

"As Vince loves to say… the show must go on… I'm just a spoke in the wheel… everything would keep on turning…" Phil mumbled quietly, hoping AJ and Kofi would hurry the hell up. "You know… I'm starting to wish I'd just…" Phil stopped and clenched his teeth as John watched him closely. He knew John would get pissed after hearing his next slur of words, or maybe that was his mind hoping. "Just laid down and died… I… WANTED to give up… I should've… I don't why I bothered… it's not worth it anymore… it's not…" Phil hissed staring at the wall as his eyes teared up. His throat was killing him, and he honestly didn't need this right now. He thought he'd get support but instead he was being forced to have a conversation he wasn't mentally ready for. He pressed his palms against his bandaged head, the gauze covering the stitches and staples he had to receive from when his head had cracked the steering wheel, splitting open, his blood staining the white gauze. His head was throbbing, his vision starting to get blurry as he tried to focus, finding it hard, he heard John trying to talk to him, but he couldn't focus on the words. They sounded far away, echoing in his brain.

 

John flinched whenever anyone mentioned Liz. It was still such a sore subject with him. He didn't need to be reminded of his fucked up track record with relationships. He also didn't need to be reminded about his selfishness when it came to the WWE championship. Cena was very aware of his past mistakes, but he was trying so hard to change and move past them. And hearing Phil say that he wished that he wanted to give up... He couldn't take it anymore. He said a curse filled rant that would have put even Phil to shame. He wanted to yell at Phil, but he looked so weak and so damn tired. Cena got up out of his chair and started pacing. He really didn't know what to do anymore. He wasn't sure what to say to Phil. It's clear nothing he said was having the desired effect. He blinked the tears of frustration away and tried to calm down his wildly beating heart. He kissed Phil's bandaged forehead and whispered how sorry he was. Their emotions were too raw to have their current conversation. John knew that he needed to back off for a while.

 

"I'll go get AJ and Kofi, all right? And I'll see you whenever you're ready. Goodbye... for now." The voice of the voiceless was voiceless but not because he chose to be, his head was throbbing too much to even focus on whatever John had said to him. He tried to reach out and grab him as a way to tell him that he needed a nurse or someone to get the throbbing to stop but John was already out of reach and out the door. His body was shaking in agony; he couldn't even yell for help… no noise came out when he tried. He tried to grab the remote to call the nurse but the pain in his head prevented him from removing his hands as if they were protecting him. He could faintly hear the machines going nuts, and he wondered if this was what dying felt like. Was his wish going to be granted?

 

His last thought before he blacked out was 'Am I going to die?'


	4. Hope goes a long way

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter 4!

AJ could guess by the look on John's face that his conversation with Phil didn't go too well. While she wasn't Cena's biggest fan, she felt a little bad for him. AJ grabbed a bottle of water to go, hooked her arm with Kofi's and headed back up to Phil's room. Her smile immediately faded when she heard the loud beeping coming from Phil's room. Kofi immediately went to get the doctor and AJ tried not to panic. She called Phil's name multiple times and he didn't respond. He was unresponsive to her touch as well. She didn't want to think about losing her friend again. She really didn't.

 

Thankfully, Kofi and the doctor quickly entered the room. AJ's voice trembled. "He's completely out. Like he was before. I'm scared." Kofi did his best to console her, but he was a little afraid too. However, Phil was a fighter and Kofi was optimistic that he would pull through again. Phil's eyes were closed but he was very aware of AJ's voice calling his name. He couldn't respond if he wanted to, his eyelids were too heavy to try to force open, and he was still very much in pain, his head throbbing persistently until suddenly it all stopped. Everything just stopped. The painful throbbing, AJ's voice, her touch, Kofi's voice telling him to fight it faded out into pitch black nothingness.

 

"Am I dead?" he asked himself, noting he was back in "wonderland" once again.

 

"He's going to be fine." The voice he recognized as the doctor he'd talked to about a few hours earlier said, he assumed he was assuring AJ and Kofi. "He's just sleeping now. Everything has gone back to somewhat normal levels. What happened was, I'm guessing, the stress of the situation is getting to him, he needs to relax." The echoed, far away sounding voice declared as AJ's cut in. "What if it happens again?! I don't want to lose him." She had exclaimed and Phil felt joy just radiating off of himself. She still cared about him… or once again, was he just something on her conscience like he was to John obviously or was her concern actually genuine? He couldn't tell.

 

"We're going to schedule him in for an MRI later today. Right now I sedated him so that he can rest. He'll be in and out of consciousness, so if you'd like to stay and keep an eye on him, that's fine but I'm assuming he gave himself a bad migraine and this all stems from the concussion he suffered in the accident. He needs to rest, he needs to relax, it looks like he opened up his stitches, so he's going to have to get those fixed, and I'll page a nurse to get him to the ER to get that taken care of." The doctor explained, excusing himself. 'I'm sedated?' Phil thought to himself, wondering exactly how long the drug would last. He played back to his unwanted, forced conversation with John, trying to see if he could remember what John had been trying to tell him before he walked out.

 

'Why bother… he left. He got what he came for. The WWE Championship. He was probably pissed 'cause I called him on his shit….' He thought, hoping the drug would hurry up and wear off quickly. He hated feeling helpless, but he hated hearing people cry over him even more. He didn't need nor did he want their pity. If he could wake up, he'd tell them to stop their pity party and get away from him. It was John's fault that he wrecked. It was John's fault that he was lying in a hospital bed, drugged up out of his mind. It was John's fault that he almost killed himself a second time in one week. It was Kofi and AJ's faults that he was forced to talk to John when they both knew without a shadow of a doubt, that number one, he did not want to have the conversation, and number 2 that his body was physically not ready for any of that stress John put him through.

 

* * *

 

John had never been so happy to see a bar in his life. He decided to take a walk to clear his head and he ended up a few blocks away from the hospital. There was a small bar and he decided to go in. He wasn't looking to get drunk; he just wanted to clear his head a little bit. Cena really shouldn't have been surprised about where his relationship with Phil currently stood. I mean, he did start fucking him while he was still married. That was a whole different can of worms that he didn't want to open right now. He was just so damn frustrated with himself. He wasted so much time being a dick to Phil and he truly wished that he could take it all back.

 

Cena fucked up so badly, that everything he did was looked at with a critical eye. He couldn't compliment Phil or be nice to him without Phil wondering if there was some kind of ulterior motive behind it. He could barely touch Phil without him flinching away. It killed John. He had a few shots and the amber liquid was making him feel a little bit better. John's phone vibrated in his pocket and he didn't even look at the screen before answering it. It was Kofi calling to fill him in on Phil's worsening condition. Cena knew without a doubt that the stress of his conversation with Phil earlier had some effect on his health.

 

John signed and asked for one more shot before responding to Kofi. Cena sighed. "I'm at a loss here, man. My presence is obviously upsetting him. But, I feel like if I leave then he'll be pissed at me because of that. I just don't know what to do. I want to be there for him and hold his hand, but he keeps pushing me away. I can't make him forgive me and I can't make him want to be around me. What do I do?"

 

AJ took Kofi's phone, overhearing his conversation with John. "John Cena if you don't get your ass back to this hospital immediately, what kind of message does that send to Phil when he wakes up? You and I aren't the best of friends, we never have been and we probably never will be… I always thought that I'd treat him much better than you ever could… as a matter of fact… I know it… but you are the one that at one point he wanted. He's hurt in more ways than one… physically he's going to need help, whether he wants it or not." AJ stopped for a moment to let the words sink in. "Mentally… he's unstable… he's confused… he's been through hell… hell that has been consuming him even before the accident even happened. The majority of which is your fault!" AJ hissed taking a deep breath as Kofi groaned and walked away.

 

"But I will admit that none of us, including Kofi have been angels to him… we've neglected him, used him, avoided him… but you are what made him happy after Jeff left him in a slump… You tore him up, and YOU need to fix him. It won't be a quick fix; you know that… it's going to take some time. You claim that you changed and that you love him… Whether you stick around or not shows the truth in your words. If you don't come back, Phil won't even consider what you felt… All he'll know is that you left him when he needed the support the most. You know he's going to try to push you and all of us away… not that I blame him in the least… But if you hurt him again by not being here when he wakes up… John I swear to you… I will make your life a living breathing hell!" AJ hissed firmly, not waiting for John to even get a word in before hanging up.

 

Although he hated to admit it, John knew that AJ was right. He destroyed Phil and it was now up to him to mend him. It already proved to be a difficult task, but he had to continue fighting to earn Phil's love and trust back. He paid the bartender and started making his way back to the hospital. He had to get back to Phil. Kofi and AJ were sitting in Phil's room watching TV. Phil was sleeping and he looked almost fragile. John wished that he could take all of the pain and damage away from Phil instantly, but he knew that wasn't possible. He wanted to reach out and touch him, but he didn't want to disturb him. Cena let out a deep breath. He had so much work to do and he didn't even know where to begin.

 

John turned to AJ. "How can you get someone that hates you to love you again? I completely took his love for granted and look where it got me. I think that's what hurts the most. Looking at him and seeing how much pain that he's in. Knowing that I'm the cause of it. I just want to make it better and I don't know how..." AJ's jaw tightened slightly. She really had nothing to say to John, she could smell the alcohol on his breath and that infuriated her even more. The fact that Phil, the man he claimed to love, lay possibly dying in a hospital bed, put in the predicament by John no less, and he runs off to a bar! 'He really doesn't deserve Phil' AJ thought narrowing her eyes him, letting her dislike for him show as clear as day.

 

"Well… first of all, knowing Phil's lifestyle… you know him in and out… I mean… god knows you called him enough…" she started, jabbing at John's past antics. "A way to make him hate you even more… go to a bar for some drinks while he's getting patched up… waiting for his MRI… possibly worrying about whether he's ever going to be able to compete again… Worrying about whether or not he'll be able to do what he loves again… Whatever this MRI says…" She snorted annoyed. "You try and try, and keep on trying. He's going to push you away. If you leave… Well actions speak louder than words. It speaks volumes on your true feelings for him… Keep on trying. Don't give up. Earn his trust back. It's not going to be a quick fix. It may take months, even years… before he ever opens up to you again… How much do you really care about him? How much do you really love him… How much effort are you willing to put forth… That's what it comes down to. Fuck I left you guys alone for less than an hour… what the hell happened?" AJ asked solemnly looking over at John for answers.

 

John shrugged. "I don't know what happened. I guess I forced him to have a conversation that he really was in no mood for. We said some things that probably shouldn't have been said. I uh... came on a little bit strong. I wasn't trying to upset him, that wasn't my intention at all." AJ didn't seem to accept that for an answer as she fully turned to face the Boston native. "What exactly do you mean when you say that you 'came on a little bit strong'? What did you do? What did you say to him?" She asked narrowing her eyes on John who looked guilty and a tad bit nervous under her piercing gaze. John opened his mouth to respond, but thankfully the doctor's presence interrupted him. The doctor told them that he was awaiting the MRI results, but that Phil was more reactive now. A nurse would bring Phil back to the room soon and they wanted to keep him under supervision for a few days. However, if Phil made big strides toward recovery, they would release him soon.

 

There was a collective sigh in the room. Kofi, AJ, and John were very grateful for the good news. They thanked the doctor and the doctor made his retreat. Phil's health and his heart were fragile, so John knew that he had to be really careful with his words and actions. He didn't want to further drive Phil away or negatively impact his health.

 

* * *

 

"Why do I need this again?" Phil asked glancing tiredly up at the nurse as he was helped off the MRI machine and back into the hospital bed to be pushed back to his room. The nurse smiled politely. "You suffered a stress induced migraine, directly related to the concussion you suffered in your accident, the pain level was through the roof that you actually tore your stitches open, we fixed that when you were sedated by the way, and it caused you to black out." She started as she got Phil situated in the bed, covering him up for transfer back to his room. Phil closed his eyes trying to recall his last memory before he was completely out. The last thing he remembered was that he was forced to talk to John. He was yanked out of his thoughts as the nurse continued.

 

"So after we checked your vitals, the doctor gave you a sedative to help you rest, cut down on your stress, the like and ordered an MRI of your brain to make sure that everything is okay. If you get better within the next few days, the good news is that you might get released early." She added cheerily with an exaggerated smile as she began pushing him down the hall to the elevator.

 

"The three people that were with me… are they still here?" He asked slowly, fidgeting with his hands nervously, not wanting to know the answer.

 

"The two men and the lady?" The nurse asked furrowing her brow as Phil nodded slowly, trying not to make his headache worse than it was. "Yes. I believe that last I checked, the lady and the young man with the dreads, they're still here. The other young man left I believe." She murmured pushing the bottom for Phil's floor. 'John left?' Phil thought to himself realizing his assumptions about John had been correct. 'I knew he didn't care about me. He never did.' He thought glumly as he was pushed into the elevator.

 

The rest of the ride to his room was silent until the nurse added "But that was earlier today. He might've returned, but I'm not sure. You haven't been to your room all day." Phil blinked. "All day? Where have I been?" He asked confused.

 

"Mr. Brooks, your condition worsened. We had to redo your stitches, fix your staples, and you kept moving during the MRI, You've been out of your room for over 6 hours. You were barely conscious you probably don't recall it. I wouldn't be surprised if you can't." She explained as Phil groaned and rubbed his temples, feeling his head start to throb. "If your headache gets worse you need to let me know. I can get you some Ibuprofen or something to help with the pain so you don't have a repeat performance of earlier." The Nurse informed as Phil nodded. "Yeah… I might need something for this… this is like the worst headache I've ever had…" he groaned quietly as the elevator reached his floor.

 

"When I get you back to your room, I'll go get you something for it." She replied as they neared his room.

 

* * *

 

John hated sitting around idly. He was starting to get a little antsy. Kofi tossed him the remote and told him to focus on finding something to watch and to stop bouncing his knee. John turned to ESPN and started looking at the baseball scores on the bottom of the screen. The Cubs won and that made John smile because he knew that Phil would be pleased to hear that. John was in the middle of stretching when he heard voices near the door. He perked up when he easily recognized Phil's voice. Phil seemed to be laughing at something the nurse said. It was beautiful. John couldn't remember the last time that he made Phil laugh.

 

The nurse lead Phil into the room and when Phil's eyes locked on to John's baby blues, there was an unreadable expression on his bandaged face. Phil groaned as the nurse got his bed situated and excused herself to go grab him something for his headache that wouldn't seem to quit, leaving him alone with John, AJ and Kofi. AJ had a look of concern on her face as she turned to face him, forcing a smile for his benefit. Kofi smiled halfheartedly and turned to watch the game John had turned the TV to, easily getting into it. John had a look that was crossed between concern and guilt on his face as he seemed to distance himself from Phil. Phil let out a quiet sigh, resting his head in his hands and closed his eyes as he awaited the nurse's return with his medication.

 

It wasn't that his head hurt too much to talk, because it hurt, it really did, but it was more along the lines that he didn't know what to say to them. The nurse walked in with a forced cheery smile, handling Phil a paper cup containing two white pills he assumed to be Ibuprofen, followed by a Styrofoam cup filled with water. "That's for your headache hon, should take care of that." She said forcing that annoying smile, waiting there until Phil had taken the pills. She took the cup the pills had been in, throwing them away on her way out. "There's the remote to buzz one of us if you need anything." She called half way out the door as Phil nodded slowly. He was honestly at a loss for words, the voice of the voiceless, was voiceless himself. It made for an awkward silence as he looked over at John.

 

"The nurses told me that you left… guess they lied?" he asked quietly, not expecting an answer.

 

"I needed some fresh air, so I did leave for a little bit. I really wasn't sure if you wanted me to come back, but with a little bit of encouragement from AJ, I decided to come back. You'll never admit it out loud nor to yourself, but you need me right now. So, I'll be here to bother you until you're all better," John replied. Phil made an irritated sound, but it was actually kind of comforting to Cena. It reminded him of their usual banter. Their relationship was far from being patched, but just knowing that certain parts were still routine gave John hope. Something that he hadn't really felt since Phil first woke up. He smiled a little to himself, but Kofi, AJ, and Phil were wondering what he was thinking about.

 

"Wipe that fucking smile off your goofy ass face before I do it for you John-Boy!" Phil hissed crossing his arms and glaring defiantly at the Cenation leader. Kofi coughed and shot John a warning look, the look basically saying 'watch what you say'. AJ shot John a glare, warningly before smiling at Phil. "How are you feeling sweetie?" she asked reaching over and gently rubbing his shoulder. "My head hurts… just waiting for the damn medication to kick in already… Can't believe I was out for six fucking hours though… I want to go home… I don't want to be here…" He mumbled quietly, glancing at everyone in the room.

 

"I want to go home…" he repeated laying his head back against the pillow. He closed his eyes mumbling "I just want to go home… anywhere but here… I hate hospitals… I still don't know all the facts on how I ended up here either… Why any of you bothered to show up, let alone stay with me… I still don't know…" his voice trailed off as he slowly opened his eyes. Kofi smiled weakly. "I'm pretty sure that if the roles were reversed, that you'd be there for me. You'd be there for AJ and hell probably even Cena too. We're your friends and we care about you. I know that we haven't really shown it lately, but we still care."

 

"Do you want us to leave? You know, to let you get some sleep. We won't go too far. I need to make a few more calls anyway. It's important that you rest, Phil. It's the only way that you can completely heal. You don't need any distractions," AJ said, her eyes subtly landing on John. Phil snorted and ignored AJ's question turning to face Kofi. "If it were reversed I'd be here for you, despite the shit that went down between us… I understand." He started, knowing that he couldn't exactly blame Kofi for giving him the cold shoulder after he 'changed', because he didn't exactly tell Kofi what went down between John and himself, Kofi had been left in the cold. He knew something went down, but not all the facts, nor the reason Phil 'changed'.

 

"I'd be there for AJ… even though we haven't exactly been the best of friends here lately… actually… we haven't been close for a while…" He admitted softly looking deep in thought for a moment before he continued. "Cena… is a far, FAR stretch… Kofi… please don't go there… it won't be pretty… it'll get fucking ugly if we go there… and I'm sure John-Boy doesn't want to have to explain himself, to explain why everyone thinks that I've changed. Hell I don't even think AJ knows exactly why 'I' ended up this way… So let's not start opening up cans of worms because I guarantee that either I'll end up hurt or dead, or someone will be leaving this room feeling less of a man than when they entered with their secret kept… Right John-boy?"

 

AJ glared at John, telling him to keep his trap shut before she turned her full attention on Phil. "You're right. I don't know all the facts. Kofi doesn't either… One way or another" She stopped talking and threw a glare over her shoulder aimed at the Cenation Leader before turning back to face Phil and continuing "We'll find out. But for now, you need to focus on resting and getting yourself better before you give Cena a heart attack, drive Kofi to drink and give me greys at 25, because if I have to dye my hair because of you…" AJ left the threat open, feeling slightly better as a small but genuine grin appeared on Phil's face at the light hearted joke. AJ smiled slightly in return. "I mean it. You're going to give this young old man greys and do you know how ridiculous Kofi would look with grey dreadlocks? No. Just no. I'm pretty sure there'd be a line of people to shake your hand for burying superman over there but you have to beat him one more time before you give the old man a heart attack and you have to get better first before you can step back in the ring; to do that you need rest." AJ teased getting everyone in the room to smile, including John.

 

"Besides" Kofi started "The old man hasn't been resting like the doctor told him, his arm isn't going to heal if he doesn't. I'm going to take him with me back to our hotel." Phil refused to meet John's gaze. AJ buttoned her jacket and she bent down to give Phil a hug. "I know that you're somewhat of an insomniac, but really try to get some sleep. I'll come by before my flight leaves tomorrow to check up on you." AJ turned to give Phil one last look before she reluctantly left him in the room with Kofi and John. Kofi shot Phil a small smile before walking by his bedside. "I'm really glad that you're mostly doing ok. I'll probably come visit tomorrow before I leave as well. Have a good night," Kofi told him. Kofi figured that John wanted to speak with Phil alone, so he told John that he'd be waiting for him in the waiting room.

 

John noticed that Phil tensed when he realized that they were left alone. John ran a hand through his short hair and cautiously approached him. He wanted so badly to kiss Phil and hold him in his arms, to tell him that everything was going to be all right. "Stay on Twitter and sleep. I'll come by tomorrow too, only if you want." John thought he saw a weak smile on Phil's face before he turned to leave.

 

"Hey Cena…" Phil mumbled as he stared at John's stiff form, watching him slowly turn around, seeing the sling being clutched tighter against himself, the bags under his eyes giving away just how tired the Bostonian really was. The confusion in those blue eyes that everyone gushed over made him take a deep breath. He was still pissed off at him, and he still didn't trust him, John wasn't getting off the hook this easily, but that didn't mean that he'd be a complete dick to him either.

 

"Get your Boy Scout ass over here… and give me a hug. JUST a hug. You kiss me and that threat still stands" Phil hissed easily leaning back against the bed as he chewed on his bottom lip waiting for Cena to move his move. The sad look on his face killed him, he knew John felt terrible about what happened, he wanted him to feel what he felt though, he wanted Cena to prove himself, but everyone needed a little bit of hope once in a while. John couldn't believe what he was hearing, but he wrapped his good arm around Phil before he could change his mind. Cena let out a pleased sound as soon as he felt Phil's body slightly relax.

 

Phil sighed gently into John's shoulder when John hugged him firmly, yet at the same time he was careful of Phil's injuries. Phil wrapped an arm around John's neck, hugging briefly before releasing him, seeing the smile on the face of the Cenation leader, as well as the confusion in his bright blue eyes. It wasn't exactly what John wanted, but he was just grateful that he was allowed to touch Phil. He unwillingly pulled away and he couldn't help but smile brightly. 

 

"There's been more than enough heartache for one week… don't you think?" Phil asked, when John nodded quietly he continued "This wasn't an invitation. I haven't forgiven you yet. But this is… it's… It's me thanking you for being here I guess… I just… I don't know… I um… I take it I'll be seeing you tomorrow too?" He asked stuttering over his words as he closed his eyes and opened them again. When John mumbled an affirmative he sighed and nodded. "Cena… I hope you didn't think I'd just run right back into your arms without question… it's going to be hard… I'm not taking you back quite that easily… It'll be a challenge to prove that you even deserve a second chance… I just hope you're up for that challenge…" Phil murmured quietly as he slumped back against the mattress, glancing up to look into John's piercing blue eyes before mumbling. "Good night… John-boy…"

 

"Of course I'm up for that challenge, Phil. I'll never give up. I'll prove that I'm worthy. And I'll see you tomorrow, definitely. I'm looking forward to it." John told him before he made himself leave. He found Kofi in the waiting room and they left together for the hotel. For the first time in a while, John's heart felt light enough to allow him a little bit of peaceful sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: The end of Chapter 4. What do you guys think?


	5. Promises made are promises kept

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hey readers, thanks for being patient. It's Punk (Cal) here. Just letting everyone know I kind of took over this fic here and intend to see it through.

"Let's just get this over with." Kofi mumbled quietly to himself as he parked the rental car, looking at April who sat quietly in the passenger seat, a manila envelope containing Phil's, her employee's health records, information on his life saving surgery, some X-rays, MRI information from the first one they gave him when he arrived (though they were still waiting for the test results on the second one), and the Surgeon's advice on how long Phil should be kept from physical activities.

John sat silently in the backseat, still wearing his sling as his doctor's ordered him to wear it for a few more days to allow his elbow to heal up some, then saying that he should remove it and start getting his elbow mobile, working it out gently. They also suggested that he try some "Kinesio tape", saying that it could help speed up his healing process as well as prevent pain and swelling in his elbow, claiming that it's a win/win either way.

"Let's go." April urged as she opened the door and slid out of the rental, John and Kofi doing the same. Kofi locked the rental using the remote, following John and April inside WWE's headquarters, just wanting to hurry up and get this process over with already.

"We're here to see Vince McMahon." April murmured as the perky blonde behind the desk gave her a warm smile, recognizing the three WWE superstars immediately, picking up the phone and phoning Vince's office to see if he was ready for them. After a few moments and quiet talking, she hung up the phone and turned to face the three.

"Okay, Mr. McMahon will be with you three shortly." The young bright assistant at the reception desk told AJ, Kofi and John. It was Sunday, with exactly a week from Hell in a cell; the WWE Universe was buzzing with questions regarding the "rogue" WWE Champion and his whereabouts. He'd been quiet on twitter, mostly because his cell phone was completely dead (which John had made sure to get him a charger so that he could charge it and keep in contact with them as much as possible, he'd even been so worried about leaving Phil alone, that he'd asked a friend to drop in for him and keep an eye on him).

Vince, Stephanie, Paul and the creative team wanted updates on Phil's condition as well as whether or not he'd make it to Hell in a Cell, they had arranged a meeting at WWE headquarters in Connecticut between Phil's boss and Raw GM, AJ, the one who saved Phil's life, Kofi and one of Phil's set opponents for Hell in a Cell other than Ryback, John.

A few moments passed before the phone rang and the young assistant perked up, leaning over the counter. "Mr. McMahon will see you now." She led them towards his office. "Feels like a damn Doctors office… shit…" Kofi muttered as AJ cracked a small smile at his attempt at a joke. "Dr. McMahon will see you now…"

"Right through that door" The assistant pointed as they thanked her. When they opened the door, there were a few people sitting at a long table, Vince at the head of it, Stephanie to his left, Triple H to his right and a few others that they recognized as some of the creative team members. "Have a seat." Vince said motioning to the chairs. AJ took her seat between John and Kofi, pulling out Phil's medical papers.

"Okay… Stated here in black and white, Phil will not be able to compete at hell in a cell. The doctor wants him out of the ring for at least 6 weeks or longer because of the physical trauma. They're worried about his brain, because he did die for a moment… and while they were reviving him, he could have suffered major or minor brain damage, they're still waiting on the MRI results for that. Other than that… and the scare he had a couple days ago, he seems okay. Just a little freaked out." AJ explained as Vince narrowed his eyes.

"Is he… is he okay?" Vince asked timidly. Many people thought Vince was an asshole, when in fact he was just an over hyped grandpa. Sometimes he could be a hard ass at times, but that was just how he was raised. He was a workaholic.

"He's fine. A little annoyed, and banged up… but relatively fine" Kofi answered, speaking up for the first time hiding his smile as Vince released a breath, sighing lightly. "Okay then. Moving on… looks like he'll have to relinquish the WWE title…"

"Mr. McMahon I actually wrote a segment where he can be taken out and Mr. Cena can be inserted in the title picture, making it a one on one match at Hell in a Cell." One creative team member spoke up as Vince nodded allowing him to get his idea out.

AJ and Kofi watched John's face as the writer spoke. His plan was to make up an excuse for Punk not being on Raw, wanting his manager Paul Heyman go out on Raw with the WWE Championship saying that Punk hates New York, and had decided to fly back to Chicago, taking a personal day.

He wanted Paul to say that Punk also would not be at Hell in a Cell, that he had "other obligations" and try to leave. Then he wanted John to interrupt, go out and corner Heyman and that Punk would come to Paul's rescue and that John would get the upper hand, and give Phil an attitude adjustment through the announcer's table. The grand finish of the plan was that later that night, it would be announced that Punk had suffered an injury at John's hands during the AA through the table.

Kofi took a deep breath and AJ rubbed a hand over her face, both knowing John was about to explode.

Everyone in the room jumped as John slammed his fist on the table, standing up abruptly sending the plush leather chair across the room. "I'm not doing that. I'm not doing it Vince." John hissed, narrowing his blue orbs at his boss. Kofi and AJ looked on awkwardly, knowing that John was going to get in trouble or reveal the real reason he was so against the idea.

"John… Come on-" the creative team member who wrote the storyline spoke up as John's gaze landed on him. "No! I'm. Not. Doing. It. What part of that do you not understand?" He asked, his temper beginning to rise as the creative writer tried to argue with him. "Look! I said I'm not going to fucking do it! You're so 'genius' at writing storylines… why don't you write another one?! Punk is injured. What part of that do you not understand?!" John yelled as he slapped his good hand on the table, leaning over it and getting in the scrawny writer's face.

Vince, Triple H and Stephanie were too shocked to say anything as they watched the usually well-tempered, well-mannered Cenation Leader completely losing his cool over a minor storyline change. It was so unlike him to act this way, usually he was cool with most storyline ideas, especially those propelling him into the WWE title scene, one that would result in him becoming champion again.

"John. You're not going to job to Ryback if that's what you're worried about. You're going over Ryback and winning the Title." Hunter spoke up as for the first time as the creative team member slumped back into his chair. John took his hat off and ran a hand over his short brunette cropped hair in frustration. "It's not about the title Hunter. Honestly I could care less about it at this point. Hell why don't you push Barrett… or Randy." He muttered as he glared at Hunter.

"John… It's a week away from Hell in a Cell. It's too late to start pushing Barrett. You know that. And Randy has a program with Del Rio." Stephanie answered as John shrugged. "So give the shot to Jericho. He's more than a suitable replacement or you could work Ziggler in." He tried again.

"It's still too late. What's this about John?" Hunter asked as John swiftly shook his head. "Nothing… okay… it's nothing… but I'm damn sure not putting Punk through a fucking table." He muttered bitterly, yet firmly. Hunter knew it was something more as he glanced at Kofi and April who'd gone silent through John's bitter tirade.

"Get out. Give us a minute." The C.O.O spoke up, dismissing all the creative team members, turning to Stephanie and Vince. "Give us a minute?" Stephanie and Vince both nodded, standing and leaving the room, closing the door behind them, leaving Hunter, John, April and Kofi as the only four remaining in the room.

"Talk Cena. What happened? Usually you jump at the chance to be WWE champion." Hunter muttered as he faced John, reaching over to grab his coffee and take a sip. "Things change. People change. I'm not hurting Punk… I'm not risking his health for a storyline I didn't really want to begin with. Switch me… or come up with a better way to explain him vacating the title that doesn't involve something physical. That is if you want me on the damn card." John answered firmly as Hunter set his coffee down, rubbing his temples.

"So… the rumors about you two… had some truth…" Hunter mused quietly as John neither confirmed nor denied it, standing there silently. "You drive a tough bargain… Alright John. I will write the storyline… or have Stephanie do it… but I'll supervise and fax you a copy before Monday, one that does not include hurting Brooks. But you will compete on Raw, and Hell in a Cell with Ryback. Do we have a deal?" He asked as John shrugged.

"You know my elbow is still not completely healed right?" John asked motioning to his sling as Hunter nodded. "That's why Ryback is going over; we'll include that in the script that you aren't 100% so it's not a burial. Then you're taking time off… deal?" Hunter asked extending his hand.

John stared at it, glancing at April and Kofi before he reached out and grasped it firmly. "Deal." He murmured as Hunter smiled warmly. "Okay… You guys can go… I'll talk to Vince and Steph… I'll leave that little bit of information about yourself and Brooks out of it… and let the rest of creative know we're handling this one." He said, nodding at John, AJ and Kofi.

As the three turned to leave, Hunter's voice stopped them. "I mean… unless you guys had questions, other concerns, anything?" All three shook their heads, John reaching out to pat Hunter on the back with his good arm, murmuring a quiet "thank you" as he followed AJ and Kofi out.

"Don't mention it Cena… and I really do mean for you to not mention it… I have a hard ass jerk reputation to keep up…" He replied with a chuckle. "Oh… you a hard ass jerk? No!" Kofi joked as Hunter smirked. "Yeah! Just ask the Internet Wrestling Community. They know everything about everything… Right Cena?" Hunter asked making John smile. "Oh yeah. Seems legit..." He replied with a grin, giving Hunter a final nod before the three headed off.

"Well that went well…" Kofi mumbled. John smiled good naturedly to the comment while April rolled her eyes in annoyance at the Cenation leader. "Right… Superman over there could've went and got his dumb ass suspended if he had gone farther than simply yelling at Jack… I didn't agree with his shitty storyline either but I didn't try to bite his damn head off… literally…" April muttered shooting John a death glare as John stopped walking once they got outside of WWE headquarters, turning to face AJ.

"Look… I know you don't like me. Okay? You've made it very, VERY clear… I know I've wronged Phil, and I'm trying to do right by him… and it seems like no matter what I do, you're always there to criticize me about everything. I love Phil…" John started calmly as April snorted at his last comment.

"Oh. You love him do you? Funny way of showing it when you used him for sex, broke his heart and ran back to Lizzie, all in a day's work huh Cena? You don't love him." April replied venomously as John looked away, sighing. John felt like he'd been punched in the abdomen with every bit of poison April spit his way. He knew that he hurt Phil, and that he was selfish, he didn't need to be reminded of his past and yet it seemed April was there to do just that every time he tried to make it right.

"Look… I… know that I've hurt him… but I'm trying okay… I'm at a loss here… I know you're never going to like me… but… can we just please try to coexist for Phil? He needs us. All of us. We're all he has right now." John tried to reason as April simply gave him a look that pretty much translated to two words. 'Fuck you.' John shook his head and walked away, leaving Kofi and April standing there.

Once John was out of ear shot Kofi spoke up. "Hey I know you may not like him for hurting Phil, which I'm on the fence with because I don't know the whole story, and until I do, I'm not judging anyone. I know you don't want to hear this… but he's right. Phil does need us, all of us." He started quietly as April bit her bottom lip, looking away.

"Even though Phil acts like an ass to John, you know part of him is relieved John is trying and that he's there for him. You also know that it'd make it worse if you chased John off, though I doubt John would leave… unless Phil tells him to… and he's yet to do so… Phil would be upset if you just up and left as well. So please… try to coexist; if not for me, then for Phil. I mean at least John somewhat proved he cares about Phil. He gave up a title, not a title shot, a title. So can you give the guy a break? He's under enough stress. Come on this isn't you April. I know it's not, you're better than this." Kofi tried to reason as April sighed.

"I'll… I'll try to tone it down some. I promise… I just… I saw what Cena put him through… I know some things that I promised not to tell anyone… I'm not about to break that promise. But I promise you that I'll try." She answered as Kofi smiled softly wrapping a friendly arm around her shoulders.

"That's my little Pika. Should start with an apology… For Phil." Kofi urged quietly as they rounded the corner spotting John leaning against the rental, his phone in his good hand, a distressed look on his handsome features. April gave him an annoyed look, rolling her eyes at his suggestion. "I'll wait over here. Play nice Kitty. Keep those claws away." Kofi teased as he gave her a gentle nudge in John's direction.

April walked almost timidly over towards John, who didn't seem to notice her presence, took engrossed in whatever it was that he was doing on his phone. She looked over her shoulder at Kofi who gave a shooing motion with his hands, motioning for her to talk to John. She sighed and turned back to face John, stepping closer to get his attention.

John glanced down at her, blinking as he glanced behind him at the passenger door he was leaning against. "I'm sorry, am I in your way?" He asked quietly as he went to move away but April grabbed his good arm, stopping his motion. "No you're not… I actually… wanted to have a word with you…" She answered as John bit his lip but nodded. "Okay… yeah… go ahead." He murmured as April dropped her arm away from his.

"I… I uh… just… I wanted to say that… I'm… I'm sorry… for back there. You were… You were right… Phil needs us… and we may not like each other… but we do have to coexist for Phil at least… And… my comments were totally out of line… no matter how true they are… they were still out of line So… umm…. There it is…" April stammered, not meeting John's eyes before slowly extending her tiny hand to the leader of the Cenation. John blinked in surprise, not expecting that at all out of the tiny spitfire of a Raw GM.

"I accept your apology. I just want to let you know… I'm not trying to hurt him anymore. I've done more than enough damage to him. I'm just trying to fix it… It's hard… but I'm willing to do just about anything for him to give me another chance… I know I don't deserve it but it won't stop me from trying. I do love him… In the beginning I didn't… that or I was blind to it… and when I realized it he was already too far gone." John stated quietly, swallowing the lump in his throat before he continued.

"Believe it or not… The accident didn't make me see how I felt about him… He'd been ignoring me for months before this… not that I blame him any. I'd ignore me too if I were him… I just… if I can get a second chance with him… I won't take it lightly. I promise you April… I'm not your enemy… I care about him too…" John confessed softly, surprising the New Jersey native, her hand starting to slowly retract before John's much larger one reached out and grasped it gently, giving her a firm shake.

"I forgive you. I just hope one day you can forgive me for my earlier douche-baggery… I honestly didn't know how he felt at first… and when I found out… I should've done the right thing… but I didn't. I'm selfish. Guess if the IWC knew this they'd stop their 'Superman' comments… Superman would've done the right thing…" John muttered with a light smile.

April bit her lip mumbling "He did… is… doing the right thing." John glanced down at the pint sized GM giving her a dimpled smile. "What do you mean by that?" He questioned.

"Superman isn't giving up on his Batman… despite all the obstacles being thrown in his path… He's not giving up… He's doing the… the right thing now." April explained as John smiled.

"Well… If you're going to insist that I'm still Superman… Why would Superman leave his one and only kryptonite for someone to use against him? I'm no Superman without my Batman next to my side." John replied with a sad smile.

"You'll never live down the Superman analogy after this, you know that right Cena?" April questioned as John nodded with a slight grin, shoving his phone in his pocket. "Of course… Harley Quinn whatever you say." He replied as April's eyes widened.

"If anything I'm Batgirl." She replied with a glare as Cena shook his head. "Nah… Batgirl is way too nice. You're totally Harley Quinn… you can be pretty evil when you want to be. Don't Lie…" John teased with a genuine smile.

"Are you guys ready to head off?" Kofi interrupted with a smirk as April blushed and John smiled wider. "Yeah… I'm kind of hungry too…" He murmured with a grin as April agreed.

"He's eating again." Kofi mused with a grin of own before asking "So if John is Superman, Phil's Batman and AJ is some weird cross over between Harley Quinn and Batgirl… Can I be the Green lantern?" John laughed and April couldn't resist giggling, she may not have trusted John… but she would keep her promise to Kofi and cut him a bit of slack for once.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: It seems AJ is willing to cut John some slack, but time will tell if she actually keeps that promise. Seems like others may know about John and Punk's past as well… maybe they weren't as secret as they thought they were? Phil has to give up the WWE title and it seems John is facing Ryback at HIAC. How is Punk going to react to that news? We'll see… 
> 
> So yeah Chapter 5 was a John-centric chapter but fear not, Chapter 6 will be Punk centric, I promise. Hope you liked the chapter, let me know what you think, my first time writing Cena, how'd I do? (Cal).


	6. If he only knew

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A blast from Punk's past contacts him. John Cena can't leave Punk alone so he sends in someone he trusts to watch over him in his absence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hey readers, thanks for being patient again, It's Punk (Cal) here. Here's Chapter 6!
> 
> BTW those text messages with words spelled like 'u' instead of 'You', and 'ur' instead of 'Your' are on purpose for realism in text messages.

Phil groaned tiredly as he flipped through the TV channels for what seemed like the hundredth time. Being in the hospital sucked big time, not only because of all the sick people, bad food and the hospital smell, but it was fucking beyond boring. There was nothing to do but lie there all day and watch the local news, and once he'd saw there was nothing about his accident in the news that put him at ease but didn't change the fact that he was beyond bored half to death. Hell there weren't even any good games on… Phil sighed as he flipped the TV off and tossed the remote on to the tray sitting next to him.

 

He grabbed his busted looking cell phone and decided to finally turn the damn thing on, feeling more than annoyed that he'd need to replace his phone eventually, especially because he actually liked this one and it was almost brand new. 'Only me… Only I would mourn my phone when I almost died.' Phil thought with a slight smile that didn't stick, fading as quick as the thought that passed his mind. The phone screen lit up as it came to life, fully charged, considering it was still plugged into the charger that John bought him. Phil plucked it off the charger, setting the cord down so that he could reach it when he was finished with his phone and put it back on the charger.

 

Once the loading process was finished, Phil picked it up and unlocked the screen, thumbing through his stuff, getting interrupted as a call came in. Phil glanced at the cracked screen on his iPhone, lighting up, reading 'April Mendez calling' before going to voice mail. He already had several missed calls, some from AJ, some from Kofi, some from Stephanie, a couple from Vince, a couple from Matt, some from Amy and more than a few from his adopted Mother and sisters. He scrolled through the countless missed calls from John, his heart nearly stopping as he eyed the all too familiar number he used to know by heart.

 

There were several missed calls from it.

 

He blinked as he saw the notification. '89 missed calls' '108 text messages'. There were several emails and twitter notifications as well. It was the first time he'd turned his phone on since his accident. April made sure he got it back before she had to head out for her flight to Stamford Connecticut with John and Kofi to meet up with Vince, Stephanie and the creative team regarding his accident and future storylines that may need to be rewritten considering his current condition. Since it was basically dead when April got it, John had made sure to pick him up a charger before they left so he could keep in contact should something happen, not to mention John, April and Kofi left their cell phone numbers at the nurses' station just in case something happened while they were gone so they could be notified.

 

He thumbed through a few of the text messages. Those messages ranging from _'Hey dude, answer your phone'_ – Kofi. To _'Phil I'm worried about you, call me please.'_ – AJ, _'I know you're still mad at me but please call me or text me… or something… I love you.'_ – John, to his heart stopping. The same number he knew by heart.

 

_'Call me. I'm worried about you. You scared me.'_

 

Phil bit his bottom lip, slowly getting used to the feeling of not having his lip ring in, as he debated whether or not to reply. Finally after a while he thumbed the reply button, watching the blinking cursor. _'Why should I? Why do you care now?'_ He typed and quickly hit send before he'd second guess himself and regret it, but regret it he did. It wasn't long before the reply came in.

 

 _'Because I never stopped loving you Phil, just because I broke up with you when I left… doesn't mean I stopped having feelings for you.'_ Phil blinked at the reply, unsure on how to respond for a moment before he left his emotions take control. _'If you truly loved me like you say, distance would not matter. Hell you left me broken and John… he may have made it worse but he showed me that I can love again, because I fell for him. Hell John's been here for me more this week than you ever were in our entire relationship Jeff.'_ He clicked send and this time the reply took a while before it came in.

 

 _'I know that and... I'm sorry. I'm coming to see you this weekend and I'm not taking no for an answer because I'm not asking you, I'm telling you so you know, so there's no surprises, but right now I got to go. Work calls.'_ Phil rolled his eyes and clicked back, thumbing John's name just as a new text message came in.

 

 _'Phil… Please send me something to let me know you're okay at least… please?'_ from John. He clicked the reply button and typed his reply. _'I'm fine, Cena… Just fine. Now kindly stop blowing up my fucking phone! >:('_

 

A few moments later John's reply came in. _'Thank u Phil.'_ Phil scowled slightly, unable to resist as he angrily typed in _'Fuck off Cena!'_ and clicked send. The reply came in lightning quick almost. _'I don't care what it is u say to me Phil. Cuss at me, throw insults, tell me to piss off or to fuck off, but as long as ur breathing, nothing u say can hurt me as much as the thought of losing u forever could. :) Make sure u eat. I know u hate the hospital stuff but when we get back, I'll personally bring u whatever kind of food u want. I promise. I love you'_

 

Phil groaned and tossed his phone back on the table. John was so fucking infuriating sometimes! Even as Phil was a complete dick to him he was still so fucking nice! It irritated Phil. 'Damn him…' Phil thought as he leaned back against his bed more than annoyed. 'I wish he'd act like he had months ago so it'd be easier to hate his guts…' Phil thought silently. How had his life turned to shit when things were once almost perfect at one time? In 2009 he had everything; he had the title he dreamed of, his lover, his perfect lover in Jeff Hardy, his best friends… Kofi, Colt, Zack, Joey, everything was utterly perfect. Even he and Cena could talk, though John seemed to be more of Jeff's friend than his, then towards the end of Jeff's WWE contract, John became very standoffish both towards himself and towards Jeff.

 

Then things went to shit, Jeff broke it off and left him for TNA, he lost his title to Undertaker because he couldn't deal with himself after Jeff dumped him and left him in the dust. After a few months of mental anguish, John had suggested to Vince that he moved to Raw and to this day Phil still didn't know why. A few months later John went out of his way to always try to talk to Phil but Phil always blew him off, even when John had asked to actually hang out, or catch a movie together, Phil lied and said he already had plans. John would simply smile that dimpled smile of his and say "Okay Punkers, maybe next time around eh?" before walking away with a friendly pat on Phil's back.

 

Phil had been in so much pain, he really didn't want to be around anyone, especially someone who brought back reminders of his failed relationship with Jeff. The one time he decided to take John up on his offer, John took him to see a movie and dinner afterwards; it wasn't actually as awkward as he thought it would be. When he started hanging out with John, some of the pain faded away for a bit. He didn't even know how he and John started fucking… it just happened… and when it happened, Phil wanted more and so did John, it was like they were hooked on each other, they couldn't get enough of the other. When they started fucking, it lasted for almost a year. After they started fucking, John stopped hanging out with him, only talked to him or called him when he was horny and wanted to fuck him. Things went to shit again…

 

It started around the Nexus vs. Cena storyline, and ended at Raw 1000… The only one that really knew about the deal was April; she just didn't know all of the specifics of the ordeal. It seemed that no matter what Phil did, he could never compete with Liz, and he could never be what John needed. John did not want to be gay or bisexual despite the fact that he fucked Phil… After Phil acted out on his emotional pain, everyone claimed that he'd changed, without trying to ask him or understand why "he changed", they just assumed like always, and Phil was the bad guy wearing the black hat and twirling his mustache, John was the hero, like always. Everyone including Kofi and April had alienated themselves from Phil, as though he were infected with the bubonic plague or something.

 

Phil ran a hand over his head, sighing softly. Now he was hurting over John, still hurting over Jeff as well. 'You can really pick 'em Phil…' He thought to himself as he closed his eyes. 'And John wonders why I don't trust him?' Phil sighed quietly as his gaze locked on the various gifts people had sent him, trying to take his mind of the past. There was some stuff from Kofi, some from April, some from his sisters in Chicago (Who would be visiting him soon, thank god), a few things from Jeff and Matt but mostly stuff from John.

 

He grabbed the card off of the giant teddy bear that John sent him, reading it quietly. _"Phil… Words cannot express the hurt I feel in me right now. Going from losing you in the sense that you hate me for all that I've put you through and you ignore me, only speaking to me when it's work related, and I know I've said this over and over again, but I'll say it again, I'm sorry, I'm really sorry for hurting you the way I did. I hope you can find it in your heart to someday forgive me and give me a chance, a real chance to prove how much I love you. Yeah, funny how things turn around on us like this huh? You loved me, and I hurt you. Now I love you, and you're hurting me, not to say I don't deserve it though._

 

_Honestly, Monday when I almost lost you permanently, it almost killed me, It's rare when I cry… you know this, after all you think I'm a heartless bastard and you told me that yourself… but I was in tears in that waiting room… I almost lost the most important person in my life and the last memory I'd have had of you, was you in tears because of me. Because I hurt you, because I was selfish, my last memory would be me hitting you in the sternum with a lead pipe and you walking away from me, forever. I know you think I'm selfish, and I am. But not because of my need to be the Face of WWE, or in the main event, or the WWE champion. Not even because of me wanting to eat my cake and have it too with you and Liz… No. I'm selfish because I would rather you be alive and in emotional anguish so that I could see you every day even though you hate me, rather than me losing you permanently, rather than you finding some peace in death…_

 

_The mere thought of you being buried six feet under doesn't set well with me obviously… and believe me when I tell you this… one of the worst nightmares I've ever had while waiting to see you after surgery… was one of you lying so terrifyingly still in a casket, wearing a suit, friends and family gathered around you, saying their final goodbyes. Kofi and April were there, and they blamed me for your death… Colt was there and even he blamed me… I mean hell I even blamed me. Jeff was there in tears, standing with Matt, Amy and Adam. I was dressed in a suit holding a bouquet of roses as the cemetery emptied out, leaving the two of us… you and me… I remember this nightmare vividly… especially this part._

 

_I leaned over and gently laid the roses on your motionless chest as my tears fell like rain. I stared at you for a long moment, committing everything about you to my memory, knowing this was the last time I'd ever see you in person… I had to remember everything, every little detail about you. Then I leaned up and pressed my lips to your forehead, whispering how sorry I was for hurting you, for driving you to this point. Just before they slowly closed your casket, your eyes opened and it was the most beautiful site I'd ever seen, even in the nightmare I knew this. You started asking me "Why John? Why'd you hurt me like this? I loved you." I fell to my knees in tears as I sobbed out how sorry I was, how I didn't mean to hurt you, dropping my head, unable to see those teary green eyes I love so much… The sky turned dark as lightening flashed against the sky, thunder rumbling off in the distance, rain drenching me, and when I forced myself to look back to meet your eyes a final time, your casket was gone._

 

_It was completely buried and looked like it had been for years. I had frantically crawled over to where it had been, seeing your cracked headstone with over grown grass and dead wilted roses littering your grave site. My eyes took in the carved words unwilling to let it sink in that you were gone forever._

 

_'Phillip Jack Brooks_

 

_October 26, 1978 – September 25, 2012_

 

_Loving son, brother and friend, deeply missed by many'_

 

_My heart was pounding in my chest as I wrapped my arms around your headstone and hugged it tightly as though it were you in my arms and I wished that it was you. I let my tears flow as I clutched at the only proof left of your physical existence, looking down to see that I held in my hands, a bouquet of roses. That was strange, considering even in my nightmare I remembered putting them in your casket. I don't know what made me pull out my cell phone but I did it… When I looked at my reflection on the screen, I was no longer a 35 year old John Cena…_ _My brown hair was gray… my bright blue eyes dim, and my "handsome young features", aged._

 

_The message I got from this nightmare was loud and clear… even though you died in my nightmare… I'll never get over you. I'll be an old bitter man, visiting your grave site daily because the only person I ever truly loved was taken away from me… by me. The pure and utter panic I felt… my chest tightened in absolute agony and then… I felt numb… empty… and it hurt so much more than any pain I've ever experienced and I've experienced allot of pain in my life time, trust me. This was the worst feeling I've ever felt in my life… it hurt so much… and yet at the exact same time, I was empty and numb… I was a shell. I was alive, I was breathing… but I was empty… void of any true emotion._

 

_There are worse things in life than having the one you love hate your existence… That's losing them completely. I'd rather you be in emotional pain and still be breathing, so that I can have you here on earth with me… So that you're alive and I can still feel alive… not the terrifying numbness I discovered as I sat grieving, freaking out (as I felt in my nightmare) in that waiting room while you were in surgery. I'd rather you be breathing and in the worst pain possible so that I could feel like I have a reason to be here, so I don't feel so lost and empty like I did in my nightmare. The thought of that scares me to death._

 

_I'm selfish and I readily admit that… but when it comes to you Phillip… I love you to death and I'd do anything for you to be happy. Even… walking away if you asked me too… but until you do, ask me to walk away… I'll be there for you every step of the way, no matter what. I never give up and I'm not about to give up on you… I'll never give up on you… I'll never give up on us, not now, not ever… unless you ask me to and I pray every day that you don't. Phil… I love you… and it's about damn time I start showing it, because as fate proved last Monday… as my nightmare proved… Time isn't guaranteed, but I fully intend to spend the rest of my time showing you all the love I should've showed you in the beginning. If not, I'll spend the rest of my time earning that second chance. When you gave me a hug a couple nights ago, it showed me that there is hope for me, for us and I'm not going to give up. I'll send someone to see you and watch over you while I'm away, but I promise I'll see you soon Phil, Again, I love you, very much,_

 

_Eternally yours,_

 

_John."_

 

Phil wiped the tears out of his eyes. He wished John would just be an asshole to him like usual so it would be so much easier to hate him and order him out of his life, but no… He had to be nice guy John-boy! He had to be so… sickeningly… sweet… 'NO! Stop thinking about him Phil! He's poison! I can't trust him! I can't!' He thought as he shook his head, running a hand over his rapidly growing hair. He was… fuzzy… He sighed, closing his eyes and resting his head back, jumping out of his skin as a deep voice spoke.

 

"Aww… How utterly sweet is that? I won't tell Johnny that you shed some tears over his little love letter if you don't" Randy Orton murmured with a teasing smirk as Phil narrowed his eyes. Randy walked in and claimed the hard plastic chair John usually sat in, his gaze locking on the injured smaller male on the bed. "How're you doing Phil?" He asked gently as Phil glared at him.

 

"Cena told you?!" he asked with a hiss as Randy nodded slowly.

 

"I'm his best friend, why the hell wouldn't he? Besides John needed someone to lean on, someone to confide in." Randy replied as he glared at the chair. "Jesus Christ this is fucking uncomfortable! I can't believe John slept in this damn thing for almost a week… that can't be good for his injured elbow… fuck…"

 

Phil narrowed his eyes at Randy. "Do you think I had anyone to confide in Randall? No I didn't. Why? Nobody believed me! Nobody cared! Nobody cared that I was hurt! Not even Kofi… Not April… Nobody. Nobody knew that I had been contemplating leaving the WWE… because I couldn't deal with seeing him… I couldn't…" Phil hissed as Randy's usually icy gaze wavered when Phil's voice dropped lower to mutter out "I even contemplated suicide Randall… I couldn't escape him… seeing him everywhere… Seeing him… having to keep everything inside… I was… I was broken… Nobody knew… nobody cared to know."

 

"What makes you think that?" Randy asked lowly after a long while of silence as Phil mumbled out "Because I'm not John Cena."

 

"Well obviously. But you're wrong about nobody caring…" Randy replied as he rested his elbows on his knees, his chin resting on his open palms as he gazed over at Phil.

 

Phil glared at him heatedly. "Oh? Really? I call bullshit Randall."

 

"No... It's not bullshit… because John cared. He still does. See that note in your hand? John doesn't write love notes, to anyone. Not Liz, nobody. If anyone would know, it's me; I've known him almost 14 years Punk…" Randy murmured as Phil clutched the note, feeling that it now held a higher meaning after hearing those words come from Randy's mouth.

 

"So why me? Why me of everyone that he could have Randy? Why? Tell me that." Phil asked quietly as Randy simply shrugged his shoulders, not really knowing the answer himself. "Because, you're different than the rest… you're special. You actually mean something more to him than any other of his past relationships. Don't take that lightly." Randy replied as he narrowed his eyes slightly.

 

"If I'm so special then why… why did he hurt me the way he did? Why'd he treat me like his dirty little secret? Why? Why was Liz somehow more important than me if I mean so much to him?" Phil asked quietly as Randy pursed his lips, contemplating his answer. "Phil… I'm going to tell you this once and once only. John's not the smartest guy around… You know the analogy all brawn and little to no brains? John's pretty smart… but when it comes to love and relationships… he's not. Not at all. He also likes to hold onto shit when he should let go… Like Liz for example… instead of getting with someone who loves him, like you… he chose to try and fix what was shattered beyond belief… stupid move. He hurt you… he lost you…" Randy started as he glanced over at Phil. "John was in the wrong. He hurt you. Now… John is also a bit slow at these things, and again he's not the smartest at this… but when he finds love… he tends to give his all and before you interrupt me, I want to say that in all the time I've known him… John has never acted like this. Ever. As a matter of fact… while I was gay and happy… John was chasing tits… while I was happy getting dick… John was chasing pussy… calling me a faggot, in a friendly teasingly playful way of course… Ah… It's actually kind of funny seeing as how he fell for one. Like I said… John's slow at this… but he does love you Phil. I can attest to that." Randy finished quietly as he locked his icy gaze with Phil's, to find Phil looking down at the letter in his hands, biting his bottom lip, deep in thought.

 

"John loves you. He does… He's been acting like a love sick puppy since… well since he lost you… and it dawned on his dumb ass… From my view I think you should give his goofy ass another chance. I'm not just saying this as his best friend either… just so you know." Randy murmured as Phil blinked at him.

 

"How many chances did you give Stephen?" Phil asked quietly as Randy chuckled. "Well Sheamo is a tad smarter and faster at these types of things than John is. Sheamus is actually a closet romantic which many might find hard to believe seeing his tough exterior. I'm willing to guess that's where Johnny got the idea for all these flowers… heh… Stephan… What can I say… Knowing John, He won't quit, and knowing Stephan which I do… he'll have John sending you roses every hour, on the hour. Am I right?" Randy asked quietly as he glanced at all the flowers and gifts that lined Phil's room.

 

"Yeah… I guess so... Most of this stuff is from John." Phil admitted quietly as Randy smiled warmly.

 

"Told you so." He replied quietly as Phil snorted. "I'm just going to throw all these flowers away anyways… or re-gift them to the Diva's. I'm certainly not keeping them." Phil muttered as Randy smirked lightly. "The Divas are going to love you then. Stephan has good taste…" He murmured leaning back against the chair, grunting in discomfort. "You know Punk… You and I are alike… seriously. We are. Stephan was kind of like John at one point, not quite as bad or hard headed but you know what I mean… he had feelings for me… and didn't know how to express them… he was also scared of coming out, but eventually he did. Like I said, faster than Johnny, but still…" Randy started as Phil looked over at him, sitting up to look at Randy.

 

"Did Sheamus… Did he hurt you before you guys… I mean…" Phil's voice trailed off as Randy nodded. "He did. While talking to me… he was sleeping with one of the Divas, I won't name whom but… it hurt because I liked him, a lot; almost dismissed him because of that actually." Randy admitted softly.

 

"Are you happy with him now? I mean now that you're dating and all…" Phil trailed off again as Randy smiled an uncharacteristic smile as he nodded his head. "I am happy, happier than I've ever been. I'd like to think that Stephan saved my life… everyone I'm sure… knows about my past drug usage, it's well documented, but Stephan saved me. He keeps me sane." Randy murmured as Phil nodded. "Do you think… Not just as John's best friend… but do you… do you think that John and I can… have that type of happiness?" Phil asked timidly as Randy looked over at him with a slight grin. "If you're both willing to try, anything is possible. You have to give him a chance, a real chance, and if you do… I just know he can make you happy. Don't forget Phil, my past isn't the only one that's well documented… I remember how broken you were after… after Jeff… I just know John can heal not only the damage that he's caused, but Jeff's as well. If you let him, that is. I'm not telling you to give him a chance… I'm asking you to let yourself be happy, I did… I've never felt better… Just think about that, okay?" Randy asked as Phil nodded. "I will." He replied as a comfortable silence settled over the room.

 

"Why are you here?" Phil asked quietly after a while. "Not that not I'm thankful for the company… any company actually… I'm beginning to go insane in this damn room."

 

"John asked me to watch over you in his absence." Randy answered honestly, adding. "I bet… I've never been in a hospital as long as you have… when I got my shoulder surgery I was here for only hours and I thought I was going to go insane… can't imagine weeks…"

 

"You do everything he tells you?" Phil asked as Randy smiled lightly. "No. Not always anyways. Did I mention that John helped Stephan and I get together? I owe him. I'm determined to help him. He deserves to be happy, you both do. Plus… I just… for one can't wait to see you wield your powers over Johnny." He murmured with a wicked smirk.

 

"What do you mean?" Phil asked blinking in confusion as the Viper grinned. "Oh come on… You have that boy so whipped it's almost sickening… Kind of like Stephan and I… Like I said, we've got more in common than you think." Randy explained as Phil smirked lightly.

 

"You know what Randy… You're not that bad. I like you." Phil murmured as he leaned back with the first real smile in a while.

 

"Oh? If you like me now, wait till I tell you some stuff John told me… some of his secrets…" Randy replied with a smirk.

 

"Oh… do tell Randy" Phil murmured as Randy grinned wickedly. 'This could get very interesting; he and Phil could have some real fun together'.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well that's it for Chapter 6! Stick around for 7. :)

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Okay! The end of Chapter 1 and everyone just loves cliff hangers, am I right? :) 
> 
> So Phil was involved in a car accident, I wonder how John and Kofi are going to feel about this. 
> 
> ~ Cal & Krys


End file.
